SAG/AFTRA’s Piece of the Pie Workshops aimed at improvisers are going to feature a Dave Pasquesi and Jimmy Carrane, among others…

Sundays 2-4p starting 10/7

Kaufherr Resource Center

1 E. Erie Ste. 650

Free!

Check out the flyer for more details…

The team behind Improv Nerd are introducing a new festival to the Chicago landscape next week.

Saturday October 6th will be the inaugural “Four Star Comedy Fest.” The name is accurate. A bit more of a fest than a festival, the event intends to focus on Chicago improv and Chicago performers while giving a downtown audience a chance to experience improv and improv training.

The most unique element of the event will be the set of 4 FREE workshops hosted by the fest and featuring teachers and curriculum from iO, Annoyance, Comedysportz and ACT (which will be doing improv for kids).  Workshops are 1p-4p on the 6th and you can reserve your spot by emailing fourstarcomedyfest@navypier.com or calling 312-595-5022. Each class has only 20 spots, so if you are interested contact them ASAP. For full details on it, check here.

At 5p Carrane will be doing a special free Improv Nerd show with Charna Halpern, owner of iO Theater.

The meat of the fest’s performances start at 7p (doors open at 6p). Hosting the evening will be Chicago native and SNL alum Tim Kazurinsky. The lineup is as follows:

• 7p-  Baby Wants Candy
• 8p- Cook County Social Club
• 9p- Improvised Shakespeare
• 10p- Uncle’s Brother

A ticket gets you in for four hours of improv in the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom. Carrane and his team will be building a secondary stage on the dance floor to recreate the intimate cabaret space that improv is best known for.

Tickets aren’t cheap but it is four hours and it is in a pretty magnificent space. The two upper tiers of tickets also come with a free drink ticket.

Tickets (including handling charges):

• Standing Room on Balcony (No drink ticket) $48
• Main Floor Seating $81
• Cabaret Table Seating $112

There will be a total of about 400 seats on the main floor.

Carrane also has two sessions of “The Art of Slow Comedy” running this Fall.

Sat 1-3p 10/13 – 11/17 at Stage 773

Mon 6:30p-8:30p 10/15 – 11/15 at Green Shirt Studio

$279

Mention Inside Joke Chicago and get $30 off.

Register at http://www.jimmycarrane.com/index.php/classes

But the improv community and its working practices are a far cry from the working actor’s world of auditions, call backs and contracts.

SAG/AFTRA is trying to rectify this with a new FREE workshop for improvisers who would like to branch out and become professional actors.  This program promises to be a great info for those who are unfamiliar with the casting process for theater, commercials and film.

You can check out the details below or download the flyer here.

Jimmy’s class is a long standing stalwart of Chicago improv training. Turns out he also won the 2012 INNY for Best Comedy Class.

There are two upcoming sessions and Jimmy is offering a great deal: sign up and you get to bring a friend for free.

Class details:

Saturdays 1-3 p.m., June 23-July 28 at Stage 773
(Includes a long-form performance on July 28!!)
Mondays 6:30-8:30 p.m., June 25-July 30
at Green Shirt Studio

$279 (so really $140 each)

You can register at www.jimmycarrane.com. Then just email Jimmy the name of your friend!

My conclusions are below:

WiseSnatch

Late in their show at the TBS Just For Laughs show Wednesday night at the Playground WiseSnatch player Meg Johns said: “Somebody’s gotta get hurt. It’s the only way I’m satisfied.” This seemed as good a summary as any for a show that featured (among other things): a pregnant women being punched in the stomach repeatedly by her two friends while they road tripped to a blowjob workshop in Las Vegas, a boyfriend restrained by a girlfriend and her voyeur roommate while they inserted burnt matches into his penis and tree-house kids accusing one of their number’s dad of performing abortions in Iraq during wartime.

They started their show with a pledge to the audience of a ‘safe space.’ The significance of this became quickly apparent in the midst of their disturbed and often violent characters.

To generalize: Meg Johns played eccentric and weird, Rachel Farmer added conflict and stakes and Jo Scott provided the glue and enthusiasm. Conflict was full on display throughout the show and was played well by the ladies due to their fleshed out characters and relationships with high levels of detail and perspective.

That said, the perennial conflict that came from the frequent two on one dynamic seemed like it prevented the ladies from pushing their show to any kind of peak. Anger was played well, but it still seemed to sap the energy of some scenes (especially later in the show) and the performers themselves.

The most memorable scene for me was the one that avoided that two on one dynamic by simply being a two person scene. Jo and Rachel played Christian rapper brothers sitting in the studio making up rhymes. The scene had a completeness and satisfaction with its own presence that was noticeable amongst all the conflict and contempt present in the other scenes.

Wise Snatch seemed to run on huge energy, serious physical play, well developed characters but a continuous diet of conflict. Character motivations and identities clustered around a few topics but no real theme or message developed and the end of the show called back the first scene in a manner that seemed more mechanical than inspired. I have seldom seen such physical, energetic characters, I hope the next time I see them those characters put their energy into a world rather than just into attacking one another.

The Other Other Guys

The Other Other Guys did what they typically do: they took a simple sketch concept and exploded into a full featured show. The story of astronauts on an ill fated mission is brought to life through strong characters, seriously integrated bits and really amazing stage craft and theatricality.

The pleasure of watching the show is seeing the number of levels upon which the action on stage is taking place. From a non-linear ordering of scenes to a structure of flash backs and the frequent and excellent use of simple props to describe changes in scale, environment and state of mind, there was deep imagination and detail everywhere.

The best example of this last night was Brian McGovern’s role as the black attired anthropomorphized role as ‘space.’ Responsible for ensuring that props floated thru the air, for lifting astronauts testing out zero gravity and for operating the Dyson vacuum cleaner subbing in for a hole in the imaginary hull of the ship, Brian’s character becomes more than a force but a personality with a relationship to the action and characters on stage.

What the entire production screams is thought. There is a huge depth of dynamics and action in every scene and relationship and the show was continuously surprising and fun to watch. The production engages with the character’s vision of themselves, each other and the audience’s perception of each.

The home-made production value worked splendidly. It gave a looseness of imagination in depicting things and also gave the leeway to push certain games past their joke into full absurdity. I would happily watch this show again right now.

My Manns

My Mann’s show was surprisingly linear, though seriously layered with game. A loose LaRonde style progression followed one character then another through a progression of scenes clustered around fathers and death. For most of the progression the character being followed (typically Mark Raterman) was a straightman (using the term loosely) facing various lunatics and absurdities. The show was structured like a ladder, straight up and then back down right thru the same scenes. The climax was watching the straight man become the curveball and beat the curveball at his own game (in this case, Mark beat Tim in a game of hockey played with canes as sticks).

It was the journey of the main character from sucker at the effect of the eccentricity to becoming the center fulcrum of the story and becoming a force instead of a reaction.

The staging was set around simple re-arrangments of the stage setup. This assisted the primary humor device at work: the piling of games and the heightening of them to absurdity. The effect of the games played as the piece progresses is assisted by the extent to which they are acknowledged and played harder as a result. This informs not only the interactions on stage (as in the continual small slap fights that occurred whenever Tim tried to touch Mark) as well as the actual scenic structure (the closing of the show with the “Dad Comedy Tour” standup act). The best example was the two of them on a journey using a map which turned out to be an actual photo of the stage setup blown up to map size. This is a great example of playing their game (the stage setup demonstrates which scene we are in) while acknowledging the game (we know you know that we are just on stage pretending) and using that to play the game harder (By the time we get over there we will be in that other scene we are traveling towards).

Fridays 7:30p Call

8/10, 8/17, 8/24, 8/31

% of box office is paid to players

Short form, long form or standup.

Email the name of your act, how many people are involved, and when you’re available to 98.6improv@gmail.com

Good Times Improv at Horseshoe Needs Teams

Tues 8p

Horseshoe Bar 4115 N. Lincoln

Send name, team name and number of players to Horseshoeimprov@gmail.com

The TBS Just for Laughs Festival is kicking off today!

The festival is certainly more standup than improv focused, but there are some great shows to see.

You can see my picks by date below. If you want to say hello, I’ll be at The Playground Tuesday and Wednesday night and then at the Annoyance late Wednesday.

Tuesday 6/13

Stuffed and Unstrung by Henson Alternative

WHERE: Bank of America Theater

WHEN: 7:30p

$: 40-60

Part of Broadway in Chicago, this is like Felt on steroids. Probably with  better puppetry. Don’t worry, giant screens magnify the tiny puppet stage action so everyone can see.

(You can see these guys around 7p every night of the festival. Cause they are basically just remarketing their normal tickets to the festival crowd….)

Wednesday 6/13

Hotdogs, Baseball and Schadenfreude

WHERE: Lincoln Hall

WHEN: 7:00p

$: 10

WHAT: Basically they will be MSTK3000 style watching a cubs game. I’m guessing if you want to buy a ticket to this, you probably still can. Alternatively you can sit at home and do this yourself with a few friends.

Pet Project Series

WHERE: The Playground

WHEN: 7:30p, 10:30p

$: 5

WHAT: These shows are all Chicago groups and performers given an hour to do what they want….

7:30p: WiseSnatch> Rachel Farmer, Jo Scott, Meg Johns.

Chicago Based Improv Trio!

Check them out on Facebook here.

10:30p: My Manns> Mark Raterman, Tim Robinson, Andy Miara

Two of the Cook County Social Club boys and longtime collaborator Andy Miara.

Scott Adsit and Kevin Dorff (with various guests)

WHERE: iO Theater

WHEN: 8p (with Dave Pasquesi and TJ Jagadowski), 10:30p

$: SOLD OUT

I’m seriously jealous of people attending the TJ and Dave Show.

Thursday 6/14

Pet Project Series (Night 2)

WHERE: The Playground

WHEN: 7:30p, 10:30p

$: 5

WHAT: These shows are all Chicago groups and performers given an hour to do what they want….

7:30p: NICE> Brooke Breit, Nancy Friedrich, Barry Hite and Hans Holsen

Longtime players from iO, Second City and Annoyance, I know literally nothing about this group. Google isn’t helping.

8:30p: Hovdees> Matt Hovdee, Megan Hovdee

Second City Artistic Director and his Tourco sister. You can get a sense of their level of artist skill and integrity from the above picture.

Scott Adsit, Kevin Dorff, Jon Glaser, Dave Pasquesi, TJ Jagadowski

WHERE: iO Theater

WHEN: 8p, 10:30p

$: SOLD OUT

Again. Jealous.

Messing with a Friend with Greg Hess

WHERE: Annoyance Theater

WHEN: 10:30p

$: SOLD OUT

I’m psyched to see Greg and Susan play together.

Friday 6/15

 Scott Adsit and Jet Eveleth

WHERE: iO Theater

WHEN: Midnight

$: 15

I have run out of quippy show comments.

That’s it!

It’s great to see improv highlighted in such a high profile festival and I hope next year features even more.

See you at the shows!

For a city devoted to and proud of its process, Chicago has remarkably few events or venues devoted to talking about improv. We refine our ability to use it as a tool, but seldom spend time reflecting on its meanings or how it affects us personally.
Whether that’s indicative of Bernie Sahlins triumph in the argument of improv as art or simply a facet of Chicago’s pragmatic, work focused comedy scene, there’s long been a gap in my mind between how much we learn to do improv and how little we talk about what it means and how it affects our lives. This is especially resonant for those of us beyond our first few years of training centers and student shows.
Jimmy Carrane’s Improv Nerd (returning in the fall of 2012) is part performance, part interview, part post-show debrief. It provides a unique opportunity to peer into the hearts and brains of great improvisers to hear about their process and their lives.

The show is a culmination of the talents and skills that Carrane has cultivated in his long career as a teacher, interviewer and performer. “I interviewed people on WBEZ for ten years. For the last 4-5 years I did a segment called “Studio 312.” It was a comedic segment and I got to interview lots of great people…I’ve done 4-5 personal one man shows and I’ve been improvising since I was 18 years old. I really feel like I’m teaching by doing this show. It really brings all those elements together. It definitely is a combination of all my years of work.”

The show’s guests come from all corners of the improv world from Chicago regulars to Comedy Central stars to movie actors, most all whom have roots in the Chicago Comedy scene. (For a full list, check out the itunes podcast page here.) Guests are conceived and booked by Carrane and his production team. “Each time it gets a little more difficult because the show has been going on a while. My producer and I are always on the lookout. If we have interns who are students we ask them who they think it would be good to have.” (If you have a suggestion for the show, post it on the show’s facebook page here.) Among his many guests Carrane sees only one common thread: a passion for improvisation. “It’s more than something they do, it’s very much a part of who they are.”

Each show begins with a personal monologue from Carrane. In his view, this opening is a chance to set the tone for the interview to follow. “I get up there and my objective is to get the guests to be as personal as possible. So if I get up there and set the bar and I’m honest and I talk about my insecurities, then my chance of them talking about their insecurities is much better.”

The personal nature of the show continues into the initial interview where Carrane talks with his guests about their work and their lives.  Questions are both personal and professional but always cluster around improv; how they came to it, how it affects them and what it means to their lives.

Every show contains a performance. The format of the collaboration changes depending on the guest. Guests with a special or specific format (like Improvised Shakespeare or Baby Wants Candy) will be joined by Carrane. Otherwise he and the guest will agree on a format.

The transition from posing personal questions to improvising can be a difficult one for Carrane. “It’s always been a struggle and it all depends on my level of shame. If I have really pushed them [during the interview] I may feel more tentative to improvise with them. But the longer I’m doing it the more I’m able to separate the parts of the show.”

After a the performance Carrane and his guest sit down and expose audiences to a discussion seldom seen by non-improvisers: the debrief. Carrane and his guest digest the show, their intentions, thoughts and the result.

The performance is frequently revelatory for Carrane. A recent show with performers from Second City All Stars challenged Carrane’s long standing bias against short form improv. “…having Ryan Archibald and Rachael Mason was great. I have such judgment about short form but it was a really fun evening to work with them doing short form. To discuss the judgment I had before doing short form and then having fun doing it. That is the kind of stuff that I really personally enjoy.”

The show is also affecting Carrane’s teaching. “Performing on a regular basis really infuses your teaching and so it’s so great when you get to work with these masters of improvisation and then you go back to the classroom. It’s so helpful. It gives you different points of view. There is no one right way to improvise. You keep studying and performing with different people and that’s how you evolve as an improviser.”

Though the show is a satisfying culmination of his work, Carrane sees it as much more than a personal vessel for expression or exploration. “My goal is to see that we all have insecurities, we’re all struggling with the same process and regardless of your level, if we can expose it, it makes it that much easier to deal with.”

The show will be on hiatus for the summer but will return in the fall. “I don’t know how long it can go for. I would like to keep it going as long as I am having fun with it and not feeling burned out. My ultimate thing would be for this to be like “Inside the Actor’s Studio” for improvisers. There are so many people who use improvisation in their work.”

If you are interested in learning more about Improv Nerd you can visit Jimmy’s Website here.

If you haven’t heard Improv Nerd and want to know what its all about, Jimmy recommends the TJJagadowski episode.

The Improv Nerd Facebook page is here.

The podbean site is here.

The itunes link is here.

No training or events to report on today, but check back tomorrow for an interview with Jimmy Carrane of Improv Nerd and a full break down of the improv playing at this year’s Just for Laugh’s Festival!

If they can’t recover from the sustained length of this fight, those doors will be closed forever.

Helping out isn’t hard. Come by TOMORROW Sunday June 10th for their opening party. It kicks off with a free show at 8p!